A.L. MVP Odds

Mookie Betts: -450

Mike Trout: +450

Jose Ramirez: +800

As a preseason Mookie Betts bettor, I’ll be absolutely livid if he doesn’t win. Mike Trout holds the slight edge in OPS, but Betts actually has a better wOBA, which nerds believe is a better all around hitting statistic.

Betts played on a 108-win team, was a gold glover, just as good at the plate as Trout, had several notable clutch moments over the course of the season and, shield your eyes old people, had the best bWAR and fWAR in the league. The only thing I am worried about is that his teammate, J.D. Martinez, will “steal” some votes away from him.

I wouldn’t hate on anyone for not taking Betts at this price, as there’s not much money to be made, but I personally feel that making an argument for Trout is grasping at straws.

Meanwhile, betting on Jose Ramirez would be throwing money away at that payout.

N.L. MVP

Christian Yelich: -230

Javy Baez: +230

Nolan Arenado: +850

While Betts has been the favorite for a while in the American League, Christian Yelich needed the final weeks and days of the season to cement himself as the favorite.

At just -230, I would recommend hammering down on Yelich. I think Yelich literally locked himself in as MVP when the Brewers went into Chicago in game 163 and won the division. He ended up leading the National League in a ton of stats and was absolutely electric in the final month.

A.L. Cy Young

Blake Snell: -240

Justin Verlander: +400

Corey Kluber: +400

Like Yelich, Snell wasn’t really considered a favorite until the end of the season. Chris Sale was banged up and missed several starts, which opened the door for Snell, who went 5-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 53 Ks in 35.2 innings in September.

His sub-2.00 ERA on the season in the American League East is increasingly impressive the more you think about it. He quietly did this on a small market team, which probably hurts his stock a little bit, but he did lead the MLB in wins, which will help him among the old-school voters. Give him the award.

N.L. Cy Young

I’m surprised deGrom isn’t -1000 or more. This seems like the lock of all the awards, as deGrom’s story was literally shoved down anyone with a Twitter’s throat all season.

Every game, he’d go out and pitch eight scoreless innings and lose. We get it, the Mets suck. All of these writers that were tweeting the crazy stats about his lack of run support are the same ones who will be voting, though.

The only thing that he’d be hurt by — that Snell was helped by — is wins. Some of these old-schoolers really care about wins and deGrom finished the year with a 10-9 record. We all know he deserved better, but there was nothing he could’ve done about that. I would still bet on him at this price.

A.L. Rookie of the Year

Shohei Ohtani: -210

Miguel Andujar: +200

Gleyber Torres: +1000

With Ohtani blowing his arm out and only serving as a hitter for the latter part of the season, one would have thought his chances at this award would have went out the door. Instead, he posted an OPS over 1.000 in August and September. I’m shocked at how good of a hitter he ended up being. He scuffled for a stretch in the middle of the season, but made adjustments and ended up as a well above average hitter. Not to mention 10 solid starts on the hill, which is essentially a third of a normal starter’s workload.

Andujar played almost 150 games and had almost as much value as a position player as Ohtani did, but obviously did not pitch. Ohtani also has that hype-train aspect in his favor. Not a bad price to hop on that hype train.

N.L. Rookie of the Year

Ronald Acuna Jr.: -300

Juan Soto: +210

Walker Buehler: +2800

Here is the award that I feel like a dog has a decent chance. Acuna was excellent as a 20-year-old, but Soto was essentially just as good as a 19-year-old. He didn’t have enough plate appearances to qualify, but Soto would’ve had the fifth highest walk rate in the MLB as a teenager. Friggin’ impressive. The Nationals sort of sucked, which doesn’t help, but I feel as though Soto could nab some votes just because of the teenager aspect.